Lent is a time to re-examine priorities: how I spend my time, my money, my mental energy. We are surrounded by the siren calls of our society.

We are told that we need "a bigger car, a new kitchen, the latest electronic gadget." Political leaders insist that we are "scroungers" if we are unemployed, or disabled, or have a low income.

There is no place in the Lenten promises for equating human beings with what they own. Covetousness and greed are not the holy grail.

They are the opposite of holy. My prayers in Lent will be to centre my heart on the love of God and of my neighbour, to ensure that I worship, serve and give thanks in accordance with God's grace.

By Canon Andrea Titterington Reader, St. John Baptist